Can you get this tongue twister to roll off your tongue— rhymes and embellished spellings and all? I’m having fun over here inventing new critters and their tails and tales. Have you got any silly willy furry friends to share with me? The key to success here is, you got it, have FUN and get SILLY!
“The Zuzzy Zzama” by Kristy Biscuit
This whimsical children’s illustration is the result of the second lesson of Lisa Bardot’s “How to Draw Fur in Procreate” tutorial that I’m following on Skillshare. Find more of Lisa’s tutorials and Procreate brushes at www.bardotbrush.com
Experimenting with different ways of how to make FURRY, FUZZY, HAIRY creatures come off the page as though you could reach out and pet them is especially exciting for me. Not only do I love furry creatures (and indubitably petting them) but I’m also thrilled about incorporating my learnings into my upcoming children’s book, “My Very Hairy Monster Friends”, featuring nonsense poems similar to the one above! Make sure to follow the blog for updates on this and other uberly creative projects…and last but not least, have a ssuper dduper dday!
Hey all, I hope you had a relaxing and joyful weekend. Today, I wanted to share one of my very favourite REAL-LIFE monsters: the sloth! This very hairy creature, who has giant claws for fingers, and moves so slowly he grows moss on his back, is something right out of a nonsensical storybook in my opinion. Cute as anything and strange as can be, I can’t help but obsessively love sloths! What is your favourite “strange” and furry creature?
Kristy Biscuit’s Furry Sloth
I had a lot of fun trying out a new style by following a tutorial on Skill Share by Lisa Bardot called “How to Draw Fur in Procreate.” She also shows you how to make fluff and feathers! I can’t wait to apply these techniques to some of my make-believe monsters! I highly recommend this and other tutorials, free brushes and more by Lisa at http://www.bardotbrush.com
If you’re having a bad day, I’m here to say, That you aren’t alone, and it’s ok! When you need a little pick-me-up, Remember the Down-Upper and his down-going butt, Who, no matter how much his bottom might weigh, Holds his head high, always scouting the way! Because if you go down and forget to look up, You might miss out on the most beautiful stuff!
Happy Monster Monday! I hope everyone’s had a great week. Here in Victoria, we were blessed with many sunny days and I’ve had a tough time staying inside to work (it’s been so much fun playing outside with the bobs of seals and the romps of otters— which, I’ve learned, are real terms for the families of these marine mammals! How cute is that? Oh, by the way, you can find me at “Kristy Durst Photography” on Facebook if you want to see glimpses of those adventures and more to come).
Nonetheless, I did manage to make some progress on the Curious Critter from last week, and as promised, I’m here to share the progress— so behold the first pass of colour. In case you missed last week’s blog, this is following the “Beginner’s Guide to Digital Drawing in Procreate” on 21-draw.com
And I hereby challenge you this week: go get creative or get out and play! Both are equally as important and nourishing…
Blocking out Colour on my Character Design in Procreate
While I have done digital art over the years, mostly for school assignments, my main mediums of choice have always been physical ones. Whether acrylics, pastels or colour pencils, I was drawn to holding tangible tools and creating something new with my bare hands. I don’t think that the pleasure of paper drawing will ever go away for me, and for a long time, I rebelled against digital art (just as I evaded digital photography after learning film and well, has THAT ever changed! Now I’m a digital photography adorer). There is something pure and simple about the traditional way of doing art and it is an invaluable practice to keep up. Yes— and also, everything has its place…
Over the past several years, I have been honing my skills as an illustrator, but not without frustration and setbacks. I was up against chronic pain, which limited my work time, and a lack of mastery in the mediums I had settled on using for my style of illustration. Yes, I could learn with time and training, but I often got stuck and discouraged in the process and I wasn’t putting out the content or finishing the projects that my heart so longed to get out into the world. It was a bit of a coincidence when I had the chance to try drawing on an iPad for the first time. Yes, I had tried a Wacom tablet back in University and later dabbled with the Apple Trackpad, but I found them extremely imprecise, frustrating and painful to draw with (they work for many people, but I have fussy wrists!).
Now, I’m not oblivious to the benefits, conveniences and beauty of digital art, but it wasn’t until I actually tried drawing with the iPad that I went, “Ohhhhhh, WOW! It’s just like drawing on paper!” Only with layers. And innumerable colour palettes at the click of a button. And so many other options including this artist’s favourite tool— the UNDO button! But wait, do all of these fancy tools and the ability to easily change or manipulate your images mean that digital artists are less skilled, fine-tuned or talented? I admit that I had this judgement for a while, like somehow giving into digital art would discredit me as an artist. But I beg to disagree with myself. To be a good artist, you need a set of creative talents and skills, say like precision, a sense of composition and colour theory, as well as in depth knowledge of your chosen medium. Well, how about that? All of these things apply to both physical and digital art! Knowing how to use your software is just as important as knowing how to use your paint and brush to achieve the effects you desire. Art, by any other name, is still art. An artist, no matter his or her medium, is still an artist.
What I discovered about creating digital art with the iPad is that it enables me to work more efficiently, thus not overdoing myself, while creating versatile art for my many applications (much of which is used or delivered digitally, so it streamlines my process). Procreate on the iPad has been a game changer. It has opened up the possibility for me to create so much more than before! And no, I don’t intend to give up on my watercolour and gouache and whatever other medium I feel like expressing in. It’s that I now know that both digital and traditional art have their proper uses and both can actually be enjoyed more because I can choose the one that is appropriate for my project’s/schedule’s/body’s needs. While more isn’t necessarily always better, it is when doing so makes you happy!
So I’m diving into this digital world, friends, with ferocious excitement and possibility! Over the last week, I’ve started growing my skills through 21-draw.com, an online membership site of illustration tutorials (with a handful specific to Procreate). I’m working through the “Beginner’s Guide to Digital Drawing in Procreate” which is how the first few stages of this little Curious Critter character design below came to be (I’ll post the final stages once I complete them). I’m learning some new tips, tools and techniques, getting some good practise in and, of course, having a blast! When learning is fun, you know you’re learning the right stuff.
In closing, yes, there will probably be controversy on the subject of digital vs traditional art, but these are the questions that I think will give you your own specific answer: what tools and mediums enable you to let your most creative, expressive, artistic self shine through? What will allow you to make art in a way that is feasible, accessible, efficient and effective for you and your unique applications, needs, barriers, skills, etc? So what do I think? I say, who cares how you create your art— JUST CREATE IT!
Puppets are a great toy for inspiring the imagination through make-belief, storytelling and role-playing. They can be a terrific avenue for expression, laughter and fun! Puppets are also a wonderful learning tool— they can be used to teach children any subject in a creative way! What better than a silly, playful friend to engage young ones? I’ve had a lot of success using my puppets in classrooms and after school programs to teach math and literacy and for adding a special allure to story-time! I’m happy to share the joy of puppets with a few now available for sale and more varieties coming to life in the Monster Workshop!
I currently offer fleece puppets like the ones shown directly below and I also make more complex ones like Super Max, the grey fury guy, in the next picture. Send me a message if you’re interested in a customized puppet.
Happy Monster Monday everyone! Today I have a special treat for you. You may have seen this kooky critter creeping around my pages before- but what you may not know is that she made it into the children’s picture book that I’m currently working on! “My Very Hairy Monster Friends” is a collection of short poems accompanied by wild and whimsical creature illustrations. Adventures, life lessons, and celebrating diversity are some themes that come out of this book. I’m ecstatic about releasing these unique creations into the world, and today I’d like to share a sneak peek of one of the featured poems along with the original watercolour painting I did of the Biscuit Monster (I’ll share the actual page illustration when I complete it)! Enjoy…
The Biscuit Monster
The Biscuit Monster is lots of fun,
She eats her cookies one by one,
And if she’s hungry when she’s done…
Hide your treats and run, run, run!
The Biscuit Monster
Thanks for reading and be sure to subscribe to the Blog to follow the progress of “My Very Hairy Monster Friends” and other creative adventures…
Play. Create. Discover... 